I’m not keen on reading books written by so called “celebrities” but I’d heard so much about this book that I really wanted to read it and I have to say I’m glad I did !
The book centres around a retirement village where there’s loads of activities going on every day. Every Thursday a group of 4, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron (who are not your average old age pensioners) go over old cases as supplied by Penny an ex Inspector in the Police. Joyce is an ex Nurse and she keeps a diary every day and this is how we’re introduced to the group.
The book centres on a murder that is closely connected to the village and suddenly they have a live case to try and solve which introduces us to a whole new cast of characters. Integral to the plot are PC Donna de Freitas and DCI Chris Hudson who become allies of the club and they help out each other thanks to Elizabeth’s art of persuasion and cunning.
I really liked the premise of the book and I loved all the characters, they were all so different and believable. I liked the way they all used their skills from their previous jobs and lives in order to try and solve the murder.
I felt the storyline was really good and kept you guessing but the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because I just felt there were too many characters and I lost sight of who was who after a little while, especially among the supporting characters.
I really enjoyed this book and I could see this being made into a tv series and I look forward to reading the 2nd one.
Thanks to NetGalley

I wasn't sure about this book when I first saw it, however from the first page onwards I was fully invested in the characters. They all have their on quirks and personalities which make them all loveable characters. The mystery isn't solved until the very end of the book and you have to keep guessing until then.

I enjoyed the pace of the story, the different styles of writing for different people's perspective such as Joyce's diary entries and the vast array of different characters.

I look forward to reading the next in this series.

A truly fantastic and unexpected read.

This book really was a delight from start to finish, full of twists and turns and yes, murder, but also very heartwarming stories of love and loss and getting older.

I certainly hope I have friends like the residents of Cooper's Chase when I am older.

I've been interested in reading this book ever since I heard about it, it's such a fun concept! We follow a group of 4 70-somethings living in a retirement village. They meet each Thursday to solve cold cases...that is until a murder happens close to home and the pensioners set about hunting down a real life murderer

I really enjoyed how this book was written. It's written in super short chapters, which really worked for me and is perfect for a mystery book. We get quite a few perspectives that are patched together to solve the mystery

All of the characters were interesting and had depth, but my favourite characters by far were Ibrahim and Bogdan. I have no specific reasons, but I just thought they were both so interesting and funny in their own ways

I enjoyed how the mystery wrapped up in the end, although it was a little convoluted and a tag confusing in its double bluffs and misdirection. Overall though it was a satisfying mystery and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel

TW: suicide

This was one of my most anticipated books of last year so I was thrilled when I got a copy for Christmas and I devoured it in one sitting! Needless to say I completely and utterly loved it! The novel follows four people in a retirement village who meet up every Thursday to look at old murder cases to try and solve them. So when a murder happens to someone connected to their home they can’t resist investigating the case. I loved the wonderful mix of characters in this novel, and I just found it such an engaging and warm read. I already can’t wait for the next book in the series to be published!

Really enjoyed this. Some reviews have been mixed so I wasn’t sure but I absolutely loved the residents of Coopers Chase and wish I could live there myself! The Thursday Murder Club meets up every Thursday (yep!) in the Jigsaw Room and look through old cases their good friend Penny had access to. Until a real murder takes place! To someone they know! And the murderer may well also be someone they know. Lots of twists and indomitable characters, well written, this is a brilliant book and I can’t wait for the second instalment with my four new friends!

Completely brilliant. Funny, of course, but also clever and heartwarming with twists in all the right places. Looking forward to the next one.

Nothing much to add about this book that hasn't been said already in orint. A runaway best seller that's shifting by the barrow load and a Spielberg film project. It's very successful!
A bit light and fluffy but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

This is a fun but insightful character-driven cosy mystery.

Wonderfully eccentric characters, all have illustrious pasts, investigative and observational skills and a desire for justice. The twisty mystery has numerous suspects and misinformation holding the readers' interest. Whilst aspects of this story seem unlikely that doesn't deter from the well-crafted plot and the authentic characterisation that defines it.

There's recognisable English humour blended with emotion making makes the characters easy to empathise and relatable. The vivid sensory imagery makes the characters and setting come to life.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Books UK-Viking via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I didn't enjoy the writing style, so I really struggled to get into it.

I love Richard Osman and his sharp wit, so I was disappointed to find none of that in this book. It just fell really flat for me and it took me a long time to finish.

However I did enjoy the concept, so for that it deserves a few stars.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as it is the first book written by Richard Osman off the ‘telly’. I was really pleasantly surprised and loved this book.
It’s a fun read that I found enjoyable and would definitely recommend and will be reading any follow up books written.

This story of four septuagenarians - Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron - living in Cooper’s Chase, an upscale retirement village, who get together on Thursdays to solve ‘cold’ murder cases called the Thursday Murder Club. They all have particular skills from their working life and all bring something different to the group.
They then have a ‘live’ case to solve the murder of a horrid builder who is trying to buy up land in the grounds to build more living accommodation and knock down a lovely chapel.
They then use all their wits and knowledge, as well as working with the Police [not that they always want them too!] to help find out what happened and who is the killer.
There are also other stories entwined as they go along and lots of humour.

This is uplifting, warm-hearted, humorous, melancholy and heart-breaking at times, but full of life and spirit, and is well worth the effort of reading.
There has been a spate of ‘older’ people stories recently, and I for one love them as they are shown to be sassy, intelligent and with lots of life to live.

I think I am the only person in the world that really didn't enjoy the book. I liked it and wanted to be totally involved in it however it just didn't grab me. I found myself speed reading it then gave up about 80% of the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

As you'd expect from the author there is plenty of well written narrative. This is a light hearted book set in a retirement village. It reminds people though that being retired doesn't mean having given up.
The characters are a mixed bunch, generally likeable who help the police stay on track. The idea is interesting of a group who gather together on a Thursday to solve crimes! It all comes a little closer to home though when there is a local murder, live, so to speak on their doorstep. In true Miss Marple fashion they uncover things the police have missed and are able to guide them in the right direction.
It's not true to life but it's not meant to be, it's entertainment and generally succeeds. It will be interesting to see book two in the series and how various threads and relationships develop.
It's an easy read, not always obvious who Dunnit. Like the characters, one to enjoy over tea and cake!
Thanks to Net Gallery for an advance readers copy.

The Thursday Murder Club.. I really wanted to like this book and I expected to find it a fun read. Sadly I found it a bit of a slog and a tad boring. It failed to keep my attention and lost interest quite quickly.

Can the nice tall man off the telly write a good mystery?

That was the question that ran through my mind as I read this novel. The answer, in short, is sort of.

The first third of the book was a real page turner. The characterisations were excellent, the setting was sound and I really wanted to know what happened. By the middle third, things got a little bit muddled, but I stuck with it. By the time I reached the conclusion, I just didn't care who did the murder or why, which surely means that the mystery failed at its most basic level. Without giving away spoilers, I also didn't believe how The Thursday Murder Club would have reacted once it found its killer.

Given how many squillions of copies they've already sold of this novel, I know I'm in the minority of people who didn't absolutely love this book.

It was aggressively fine. So it seems like the nice tall man off the telly can write a mystery, just a middling one. I hope the next one is better.

I was looking forward to reading this book as all reviews were quite high. However, I didn’t get the same feel for it that others clearly did. It was a great story with interesting characters but it felt like it went on a bit too long. It may have been more me than the book itself; I did enjoy it, I just didn’t love it.

This didn't quite live up to the hype for me, it was a good enough read but there is so much you could pick fault at.....the writing itself is brilliant - equal parts humour, drive and description, but there are too many characters which all got very confusing especially as some are small recurring roles, and the plotline was not the strongest when all is told.....there were a few points in the first half (which actually took me about 2 weeks to read) where I was contemplating not finishing, and only because I thought it HAD to get better (& because I love Richard Osman) did I carry on reading....the second half was better and I managed to read that in a matter of days.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest & unbiased review.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman tells the story of four residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village who quietly meet up every Thursday to review cold case files in the Jigsaw Room. But Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron soon have a real murder on their hands when a builder with a complicated past is found dead in suspicious circumstances. This is a solid debut novel which sits at the cosier end of crime fiction and therefore probably less suited to my personal taste. However, it is a light, well-written and engaging read and I can see it being an equally huge success on screen as it has been in the UK hardback charts.

This novel has become a huge bestseller and rightly so. It is a very clever combination of character study, whodunnit and light situational humour. The main, secondary and lesser characters are all well-rounded with full back stories which are introduced with a lightness and tenderness by the author. The plot has twists, turns and red herrings to give characters plenty of scope to bring out their character traits and a certain Britishness (everything from trade unionism, biscuits and Waitrose).

A light-hearted, well thought out novel. The plot was neither too obvious nor nonsensical. I am pleasantly surprised. Perhaps another Graham Norton type author in the making?